Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley is warning area residents to be on the lookout for a door-to-door business he says is offering one thing but doing another.

Shirley said that a group from the area of North Augusta, South Carolina has been spotted in Stephens County recently.

The sheriff said that the group offers to do work on your driveway, but only actually puts down used oil that looks nice until it rains and washes away.

Shirley said he urges residents to be aware of these individuals.

This is not the first time such an operation has been spotted, according to Northeast Georgia Better Business Bureau President Fred Elsberry.

“We found out last spring that was pretty much a scam because these people are not resurfacing your driveway with either asphalt, which is probably what your blacktop is, or applying a coating that is conducive to that,” said Elsberry. “In fact, we find that many times what they put on there is just used oil so that the first time it rains, it begins to evaporate and be washed into your yard or whatever drainage you might have.”

Elsberry went on to urge people to always be cautious of people going door-to-door.

“The first thing they need to do is to remember that just because they show up at home does not mean you need to feel pressure to do business with them,” said Elsberry. “One of the red flags that we always tell homeowners is that anytime you are getting pressure to do something, that should be your clue to go the other way. Listen to what they have to say. Listen to what they want to do. Tell them you will get back in touch with them and then, if that is something that really needs to get done, as with any big project like that, you need to go out and get two or three estimates. Be sure, number one, it is something that needs to be done and number two, that it is something that is a good value to do.”

Elsberry said that people should always find a contractor they can trust and that will guarantee their work to do any such projects.